Knot-tver for grain-binders



(No Model.)

F. W.RANDALL. Knot Tyer for Grain Binders.

No. 231,448. Patented Aug. 24,1880.

'which-- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE..

FRANCIS W. RANDALL, OF TEKONSHA, MICHIGAN.

KNOT-TYER FOR GRAIN-BINDERS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 231,448, dated Augustm24, 1880.

Application led March 3, 1880. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, FRANCIS W. RANDALL, ot' TekOnSha, in the county of Calhoun and State of Michigan, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Knot-Tyers for Grain- Binders, which improvement is fully set forth in the following specification and accompanying drawings.

The object of my invention is to produce a novel device for tying a knot in a twine band put upon a gavel of grain; and it consists of a metallic tube provided. at one of its ends with two curved prongs, which, as the tube is rotated, operate upon the twine in such a manner as to form a loop, while a hook moving longitudinally within the tube is caused to make two distinct advance movements at intervals, and thus draw the ends ot' the band through the loop and complete the knot, the device being more fully set forth hereinafter, and shown in the accompanying drawings, in

Figure lis a side general view ot' the device, the tube being partially broken away at one side to uncover the contained hook. Figs. 2 to 9, inclusive, show different positions of the same, and Fig. 10 is a completed knot.

This tying device is designed to be used upon an automatic twine grain-binding harvester in combination with some suitable gaveler, binder arm, twine clamping jaws, and shears, and is placed horizontally or otherwise in such relation to the binding-arm and clamping-jaws that the twine shall be brought by the former within its reach for the purpose of being knotted after having been carried around the gavel.

rlhe part A otl the drawings represents a straight tube having iitted within it a rod, B, formed at one end into ahook, b. This rod is slotted at d., and a pin, a, passes through both sides ofthe tube and through the slot, which pin prevents the rod from rotating independently of the tube, while it may slide longitudinally to the extent of the length of the slot. The respective ends of the slot come in contact with the pin as the rod is caused to slide one way or the other', and form stops for the same.

The tube, at its end, is divided and formed on one side into a curved twine-loopin g prong or looper, c, and on the other intoa twine-holding inger or twine-holder, e, the former being bent inward and the latter' slightly outward, as shown. To form the knot the tube is rotated in the direction indicated by the arrows by means of a gear, f, fastened upon it, or by some other suitable means, and the rod B is caused to slide endwise within the tube at proper times with reference to the rotation of the same by means of a lever, g, (shown in dotted lines,) forked upon said rod, the jaws of which lever rest in a groove, i, or by some other suitable means suggested by mechanical skill.

The normal position of the hook Z1 is within the tube, as shown in full lines in Fig. 1 but the hook also occupies two other positions during the process of developing the knot, one of which is shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1 and in full lines in Figs. 3 and 4, and the other in dotted lines in the latter figure.

As shown in Figs. l and 2, the tying device is at rest with the two ends of the band--one, It, held by the twine-clamps s, and the other, lc, returned by the binder-arm to said clampslying within the looper c, ready for the operation of tying the knot. The extreme end of the looper is turned inward in such a manner that when the hook b is slid out to its second position, above mentioned, (shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1,) the side of said hook will rest against the end of the looper, as shown in Fig. 3, which prevents the escape of the strands of the band from the looper while the loop is being formed. This motion of the hook takes place immediately after the bindingarm brings the second twine within the looper and clamps s, and simultaneously with or before the commencement of the rotation ot' the tube.

Fig. 3 shows the tyer when it has rotated one-fourth, and Figs. 4. and 5 when it has rotated one-half, around, the twine-holder e having caught the twine, as shown. As a matter of convenience but a single strand of the band is shown in several of the figures. Figs. 6 and 7 respectively show the positions of the parts when the knetter has made threefourths of and a complete rotation. Soon after the former position is passed the twine 7c, leading from the gavel, slips oft' the end ofthe IOO looper and over the end of the hook, which it may easily do as the said elids of the looper and hook are even, immediately after wliiell the hook is advanced to its third or outermost position, (showli in dotted lilies in Fig. 4,) the twine being now held aroulid the back side of the hook alid the outside of the holder c, as shown ill Fig. 7.

Fig. 8 represents the knotter after having rotated once and onefourth aroulid, the twineholder c beilig abolit to pass back ot' or beneath the twine l1, which it can easily do, asit is shorter than the looper. The said twine h is now held out at the extreme end ot' the looper owing to the position of the parts. The loop for the kilot is conipleted when the tube rotates another one-fourtli, or once and onellalf around in all, as shown in Fig. 9, the part of the band leading from the clampingjaws s being brought b v the last quarter-rotation within the hook Il. If the twine he now clit between the ki'otter alid the clamping-jaws by sonieI suitable cutting device p, and the hook drawn back witliili the tube, the severed ends of the twine will be drawn through the loop, which completes the knot, it being observed that as the hook is drawn hack past the point ot' the looper the twine, wliicll up to this stage of the operation has been confined within said loopel b v the presence of the hook, as before lllelltioiied, is released and the weight of the boulid bulidle easily takes the knot ot' the twine-holder e arid assists in drawing said knot tight, whicll knot colnpleted is represented ill Fig. 10.

After the sheaf has beeli delivered froln the knotter the latter is rotated one-halt' farther around, niakili g two complete rotatioils, which liiovenlelit returns it to its first position, (shown in Fig. 1,) ready to receive the twiile alid repeat the operation of tying a knot.

A knot-tying device consisting of a rotating tube formed atits elld illto prongs for aetillg upon the twine alid containing a longitudinally-sliding hook to draw the end ofthe twine through a loop formed of' the twine to form a kliot is not new, I having shown alld described such device in lily patent dated April 1, 1879, No. 213,838.

The looping-prong in lny present invention turns at its extremity in a direction at right angles with the axis of the tube, and reaches to but does not cross or overreacli the path ot' the hook, it heilig just out of the way of' the hook, as the latter passes and repasses it during the lilotioll of the hook, above mentioned. It is this forniation of the prong and conjoint operation ot' the hook that constitute the essential part ot' lily invention.

l clailn as illy invention- The combina-tion of a tube or hook-case, A, and hook b, the former provided with prongs c and e, the latter prong being turned at its extremity, so as to reach the patliof the hook, said hook heilig caused at intervals to nlake two distinct advance movements, the first to aild the secolid thence by aiid beyond the point ofthe prong c.

FRANCIS W. RANDALL.

Witnesses:

C. I). DEWEY, Wil. B. SYLvns'rEn. 

